Round About Way
by ercarterfan
Summary: Carter and Abby share a rare day off together.


**The Round about way.**

"So Abby what are you going to do with your day off?" Carter asked as he tried to start up a conversation at the admit desk after a long day at County.

"Honestly I have no idea. I didn't have anything planned, what about you." She replied back in response.

"I didn't have anything planned." Carter answered his head down as he finished making notes on a chart. "It would be a shame to waste a beautiful spring day though."

"Yeah it would be," Abby said, "but then, I'm sure that I could find something to do."

Carter thought about it for a minute, thinking, neither of them had anything planned and his mind started going to something that maybe they could do together. "Hey there's a carnival in town, why don't we go, I might be able to win you some stuffed bear or something."

"I don't know about that Carter." Abby replied rather reluctantly.

"Oh come on, it's just a carnival what could happen?" He smiled at her now, "I know you want to go, come on, you know you want to."

Abby never had been able to resist that boyish smile once Carter had it on his face. That one smile that lit up his eyes so that they almost appeared to be dancing, it was a smile that Abby hadn't seen in a long time. "Sure, okay." She said, "I'll go to the carnival with you Carter."

"Great." He answered her with much enthusiasm. "I'll pick you up at ten tomorrow morning."

"Kind of early there Carter." Abby said giving him a rather coy smile.

"Now we can't be wasting any part of the day." Carter said as he closed the chart getting ready to leave, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night Carter." Abby said as she watched him disappear out the bay doors, what had she just gotten herself into.

Carter was at Abby's exactly at ten just like he said he would be. They walked down to his jeep. There was this weird feeling that seemed to be radiating off both of them, but it was as if neither wanted to say anything to the other about it.

"So you want to spend your day off, with me, at a carnival." Abby said as she broke the silence that was between them.

"Well it's a little more than just a carnival, and yes I want to spend my day off with one of my friends, is that so hard to believe." Carter replied.

"Kind of hard to believe, yes, and what to do you mean a little more than just a carnival?" Abby had to ask.

Carter helped her into the jeep and got in himself. "Well," he said as he pulled away from the curb, "it's a little bigger than the carnival you would find at the pier, but not as big as a state fair."

"Oh that explains a lot, uh Carter where are we going?" She asked again.

"You're full of questions this morning."

"Well I'm getting this feeling that I am being taken on some kind of adventure today rather than what I thought I was getting into."

"It's an adventure of the best kind." Carter said with a small laugh, "you just have to trust me."

"Oh, now that's a loaded statement Carter." Abby poked him.

"Hey now," he said smiling her direction, "there's no abusing your chauffer."

"That was so far from abuse." She laughed slightly, "come on Carter spill the beans where are we headed."

"Ah," his smile grew a little more, "that my dear is the element of surprise."

"I don't like surprises." Abby said.

"Hmm, well I guess then that's just too bad." Carter said smiling over at him to make sure that she had the impression that he wasn't serious with that last statement.

"I'm not joking." Abby replied.

"Well I asked you if you wanted to go to a carnival today and you will be going to a carnival." He said, "I just didn't say where it was or what exactly it was."

"Talking in circles there Carter."

"Is there any other way to talk?" He bantered back.

"You are the most frustrating man I know at times." Abby said.

"And you love me for the excitement that I can add." He laughed softly.

"And that might be the only reason." She snubbed.

"Ah, feisty today aren't you." He said, "well you are completely and totally stuck with me today but I promise by the end of the day you will have had a very good time."

"Don't make promises that you can't keep Carter." Abby said with a sly smile.

"Oh this is one that I do intend to keep." He said returning her smile, "you will have a good time that much I know."

Carter and Abby made small talk as they continued on their way. Carter confident in where he was going, Abby nervous about just where he was taking her. They were headed out of Chicago and they seemed to have been driving almost for forever now.

"Are you sure you know where you are going Carter?" Abby asked.

"Yeah we are almost there."

"No offense here Carter but where is there? We are out in the middle of nowhere." Abby said.

"Well, it's a little far from the middle of nowhere." Carter answered, "it's just up the road about another half hour."

"We've been driving for a good two hours now Carter." Abby pointed out to him.

"I never said we were doing something in Chicago." He laughed.

"Yeah but you didn't tell me that I would need my passport either."

"We're not going that far Abby." Carter said giving her that look that said you have to trust me.

"Yeah trust you." Abby said fidgeting in the seat, "famous last words."

There was silence in the car again as they drove along, and with in that half hour Carter was pulling them into a small town. He had heard about a fair that was going on outside of Chicago and thought that it would be the perfect place for them to spend a day off together.

"We're here." Carter said as he negotiated his way through the streets of the town looking for a place to park that was near where everything was going on.

"Yeah middle of nowhere." Abby replied again.

"Now, now," Carter said as he pulled into a parking space just off the small main street of town. "We are not in the middle of nowhere and I know that you are going to have a good time you just have to trust me. I know that this isn't something that you would normally do, and doing something different well it just adds spice to your life."

"I don't need any more spice in my life thank you very much." Abby said as they started to get out of the car.

"It's an adventure, we all need adventure." Carter said as he took her hand as they headed down the street.

"Yeah we all need adventure." Abby said as they started to walk looking at different things. "There's a lot here though."

"It's a small town fair." Carter said as they strolled along. "There's a lot here that we can do."

"What did you have planned Carter?" Abby asked, "or should I say what do you want to do?"

"Come on." Carter said as he pulled her along, they were going to have some fun if it was the last thing that they did today. He planned on them acting like a couple of overgrown children lose for the day.

The played the rest of the afternoon various rides, he won her that stuffed teddy bear that was almost as big as Abby was granted Carter about threw out his shoulder in the process but she seemed happy that he had done that. As the sun started to set he pulled a blanket out and spread in on the ground on the side of the hill.

"Now what do you have planned?" Abby asked.

"Oh nothing." He says, "did you have fun today?"

"Oh yeah." Abby said with a small laugh, "there's nothing like tossing my cookies on the tilt-a-whirl."

"Oh but you were so cute, especially when that kid looked at you."

"Yeah I'm sure that me being beet red," Abby said poking at him, "was entertaining to you while extremely embarrassing to me."

"Oh yeah." Carter was laughing now, "that was rather… uh… well… funny."

"Make fun of my embarrassment."

"Yeah well if it had been me you'd be picking on me too." Carter pointing out.

"I would so not be picking on you, if it had been you that ralphed."

"Ralphed?" Carter laughed, he couldn't help it. The color on Abby's face was priceless.

"Yeah you know, upchucked, heaved, barfed…"

Carter cut Abby off by shoving a chocolate covered strawberry in her mouth, "I got the impression, I understand."

"Mm," She said, "that's good."

"I thought a concert on the hillside would be a nice way to end our day out."

Abby snuggled up against him, "yeah this is the perfect way to end the day."

"I hope you had a good time on the little adventure today."

"One that I'll remember Carter. Thank you." Abby answered.

"You're welcome." Carter said as he placed a kiss on her forehead as the sun set in the background on their wonderful day.


End file.
